Increase your core strength to improve your squash fitness

Posted by on 6 December 2013 | 0 Comments

Today we're going to take another step forward and talk more about two powerful moves that you can use to help increase your core strength. As a squash player, having strong core muscles is going to be a must. Each time you go after a ball, you'll be twisting the side of the body and it's the core muscles that help execute this movement pattern.

If you aren't strong in your core, you're going to quickly find yourself missing serves, suffering from back pain, and simply not feeling as quick out on the court as you could be.

The problem with core strength is that most people go about it in entirely the wrong manner and just perform crunch after crunch on the ab mats.

While crunches may assist with improving core muscle strength, they aren't going to provide the deep level core muscle stimulation that you really need to see serious results.

The following two exercises however will change that.

The Plank

The very first exercise to add to your core workout routine is the plank. This exercise is unlike most other core exercises that you'll likely perform because of the fact that it's an isometric contraction. This means rather than continually moving through a movement pattern, your main mission is to hold a movement for as long as possible.

This then has the effect of improving muscular endurance levels, which will assure your core doesn't fatigue halfway through the game.

To do this exercise, get into position so you're balancing on your forearms and toes and squeeze the core so that you look flat like a tabletop.

Hold this position for as long as possible, making sure never to let the hips drop or rise back up. Remember that you can also add more variations to this exercise by lifting one leg up off the ground or placing the hands or feet on an exercise ball.

The Decline Sit-Up

Second another must-do exercise to add to your core workout routine is the decline sit-up. This movement is great because it's going to help not only strengthen the front core muscles (the rectus abdominals), but the obliques as well.

Furthermore, because you're doing it on a decline, you'll be working against the forces of gravity, adding additional resistance.

Lean all the way back and then twist the body upwards as you return to the start. The twist is what will up the intensity of the movement.

So keep these two core exercises in mind as you go about your workout routine. Doing them twice per week and really focusing on the muscles contracting as you go about the movement will help you see significant strength gains.

If you really want to improve your squash and take it to the next level you should give SquashFit a go: